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SportShorts for Saturday, December 30, 2017

The Future Warrior Training Camp will be held at Musgrove Fieldhouse starting Jan. 14.

The camp will allow players in grades 1-8 to hone skills fielding, hitting, pitching and catching. It will run 1-4 p.m. Jan. 14, 21 and 28 and Feb. 4.

Registration for one session for all 4 weeks is $30 with two sessions costing $40 and three sessions $50.

For more information, email coach Nick Pepper at baseball@sps5.org.

TENNIS

Westwood to hold open house

The Sterling Park District will host an open house for the new tennis facility at Westwood.

The open house will be 2:30-8 p.m. Jan. 11 and will include demonstrations, clinics and give-aways. There will also be a tour at 3 p.m.

NFL

Concussion protocol changed

The NFL and the players’ union announced a series of changes Friday to the way potential concussions are handled during games following an ugly incident in which Texans quarterback Tom Savage was allowed to return to the field after a hit left him on the ground, arms shaking.

Among the changes is the addition of an expert watching games from a central location with the authority to alert sideline medical teams to look into an incident. And if a player shows signs of a seizure or similar responses, as Savage did, they will be removed from the game and cannot return.

Jets extend contracts of coach, GM

The Jets announced contract extensions for coach Todd Bowles and GM Mike Maccagnan on Friday. A source said both received 2-year contract extensions.

Each was entering the last year of contracts but now will remain with the organization through 2020.

“We are very happy to have extended both Mike and Todd,” said Jets CEO Christopher Johnson. “During their time here, they have worked together to help the organization build a foundation on which to grow. They are identifying, developing, and getting productivity out of our players. I believe we are headed in the right direction. This provides us continuity and stability as we continue to move this team toward sustained success. We still have a lot of work to do, and I am excited to work closely with both of them as we move forward.”

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Bielema buyout set at $15.4 million

The buyout for fired Arkansas football coach Bret Bielema’s contract has been set at $15.4 million.

The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette obtained a copy of the agreement between Bielema and the Razorback Foundation on Thursday under the state’s open records law. The foundation’s executive director said the agreement hasn’t been finalized.

The buyout proposal matches an amount listed in Bielema’s public employment contract with the university, which fired him on Nov. 24 after the team went 4-8. He had 3 years left on his contract.

The information was released after the Arkansas Attorney General Leslie
Rutledge ruled that Bielema’s contract with the Razorback Foundation had a high level of public interest.

Gettleman introduced as Giants GM

Dave Gettleman is going right to work as the New York Giants’ general manager.

There is plenty to fix with a team that has two wins entering the final weekend of the season, starting with finding a new head coach.

There is not a lot of time to waste, either. With the regular season ending Sunday, there are going to be good head coaches getting pink slips around the league. The week also gives the Giants a chance to talk to coaches on teams that have a first-round playoff bye.

Gettleman and Giants co-owner John Mara want to be position to talk to those people and others, so mark Monday as the day the search starts.

Gettleman wants his coach to be someone with intelligence, leadership ability and vision, equating the job with that of a chief executive.

Mara said the Giants want someone with NFL experience, either as a head coach or a coordinator.